Why New Changes At Exodus Really Matter In The Culture Wars

The president of the world’s largest “pray away the gay” ministry, Alan Chambers, made headlines by proclaiming to major media outlets that there is no cure for homosexuality. He also condemned so-called “reparative therapy,” which seeks to change the sexual orientation of clients by delving into their family dynamics.

“I do not believe that cure is a word that is applicable to really any struggle, homosexuality included. For someone to put out a shingle and say, ‘I can cure homosexuality’ – that to me is as bizarre as someone saying they can cure any other common temptation or struggle that anyone faces on Planet Earth.”

On Saturday, Chambers reiterated his change of heart to Eric Eckholm of the New York Times:

Mr. Chambers said that virtually every “ex-gay” he has ever met still harbors homosexual cravings, himself included. Mr. Chambers, who left the gay life to marry and have two children, said that gay Christians like himself faced a lifelong spiritual struggle to avoid sin and should not be afraid to admit it.

He said Exodus could no longer condone reparative therapy.

There are critics who claim that what Chambers said does not matter because he still believes that homosexuality is sinful. They point out that the “ex-gay” activist’s new spiritual remedy is celibacy or marrying an understanding opposite sex partner, as Chambers has done. These skeptics conclude that such advice to LGBT teenagers is just as damaging as the old promises of “freedom from homosexuality through Jesus Christ.”

I disagree with this assessment and believe such critics are missing the big picture. Ex-gay programs have never really been about converting gay people into heterosexuals. It has really been a gigantic marketing and public relations campaign used by anti-gay organizations to say, “Gay people don’t need equal rights, they need therapy and prayer instead.”

In exploiting the “ex-gay” industry, our opponents have positioned homosexuality as a sinful, unnatural behavior that could be altered, rather than being an integral and immutable part of a person. This message has either directly or indirectly been used as a club in which to bash LGBT people in referendums for the past fifteen years and serves as a wedge issue to fire up their base in election cycles. Embracing these groups also allowed the Religious Right to smarmily and cynically claim they “loved” LGBT people and were just trying to help them.

Without holding out the magical promise of change, Exodus has little value to the Religious Right’s political ambitions. While some evangelical voters may see celibacy or sham marriages as reasonable options, most Americans will consider such demands as cruel, unrealistic, and potentially damaging to both the gay person and their spouse. In other words, pushing the impractical idea of turning millions of LGBT people into sexual ascetics won’t play beyond the extreme right’s base.

Exodus’ new message will also fall flat with most LGBT youth, even ones from evangelical or fundamentalist backgrounds. Just a couple of years ago, Exodus offered flashy ads that exploded with hope. One ad for their national convention confidently screamed: Revolution, radically change your world. Freedom from homosexuality is possible.

What is Exodus’ new message to teens? “Live a life of hell on earth so you can get to heaven when you die?” Or, maybe their new recruitment brochure might say: “A life of sexual frustration and loneliness has never been so fun!”

Clearly, this despairing message will have a limited audience, especially when Exodus is competing with the Internet and an increasingly accepting culture. New York Times columnist Frank Bruni summarized the new cultural tide that Exodus’ is fighting:

Look at the last few weeks, even the last few days. The high-profile wedding in the news over the weekend was of the retiring Congressman Barney Frank and his male partner. The high-profile wedding the weekend before that was of the Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes and his male partner.

A male hip-hop star just came out; a prominent pray-away-the-gay advocate just conceded that sexual orientation is Psalms-resistant; Google just announced that it would promote gay rights worldwide, even in countries where homosexual acts are now criminal.

That’s not to mention Anderson Cooper’s recent acknowledgment that he’s gay, which elicited more yawns than gasps. The reaction befit a world in which Ellen DeGeneres is a pitchwoman not only for CoverGirl but also for J.C. Penney, whose catalogs this year included same-sex couples.

Exodus needs both shame and sorcery to seduce society and attract new clients. At the moment they have neither and ironically will need a miracle to survive and remain relevant in these rapidly changing times.

About the Author

Wayne Besen is the Founding Executive Director of Truth Wins Out and author of “Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth” (Haworth, 2003). In 2010, Besen was awarded the “Visionary Award” at the Out Music Awards for organizing the American Prayer Hour, an event which shined a spotlight on the role American evangelicals played in the introduction of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

Related Posts

25 Comments

JohnJuly 10, 2012 at 6:05 pm -

Has there ever been an effort to identify the 100 or so people in that newspaper ad? I think it would be very interesting to see how many of those people were “ex gay” when the photo was taken and how many of the self-proclaimed ex-gays are now ex-ex-gay.

As a Wiccan, can I just say that your use of the word “sorcery” in the final paragraph is a little off – bigoted Christians were persecuting people like me for practicing sorcery not so very long ago – their most recent campaign being the “Satanic Panic” in the late 1980s.

As I am sure you’re aware, people of different minorities need to stand together to resist bigotry. Wiccans and other Pagans may be a small group but the vast majority of us support LGBT rights. It’s very rare to find a homophobic Pagan.

Thanks for all the great work that you do!

TomJuly 11, 2012 at 8:54 am -

Its comforting for me to know that all these crazy a*s righties ain’t going where they think they are but that’s not enough. If there really is a war on religion, would someone please sign me up because when the time comes I will be in the streets. As Amerika continues to deteriorate because of this kind of hatred, we will reach a breaking point. Just watch as we spiral out of control. It will get even worse when Romney is elected. Prepare thyself.

I agree wtih Yewtree. Our householding is Wiccan, although I retain an ordination within a Christian denomination from many years ago. Wicca (neo-Paganism) is arguably the fastest growing religion in America, and has gone from about 40,000 adherents in 1950 to (best estimates) about 4 million today — whether that growth rate will continue or not, I don’t know – but it has come a long way. To continue I think will require more of an organized clergy and actual clerical services. The places I’ve seen Wicca do best are places with organized, open congregations. But that’s a discussion for another board. We do all need to stick together.

Kind thoughts to all.

JohnJuly 12, 2012 at 11:58 am -

It’s interesting to read the blogs of some web sites concerning straight or LGBT. Concerning any lifestyle you desire, when you come to an understanding by your experience that it doesn’t fulfill and you are satisfied you change. Sadly most people in life settle for less than the best in life and then when they get older they are on a crusade to tell the up and coming generation that what you are doing will not last and will not fulfill. One women that was married and living both straight and lesbian lifestyles in Hollywood said she made a choice to leave her husband and children for her partner. I thought that was interesting that she made a choice and the LGBT community went wild defending you are born as LGBT type person. Somebody is lying and when you prove all things to be true of false, in the end you’ll know what and who is driving what and who. Have a great day.

Priya LynnJuly 12, 2012 at 12:01 pm -

John, a woman making a choice to leave her husband for a woman doesn’t mean one’s sexuality is a choice. A bisexual, or even lesbian woman can marry a man even though she’s same sex attracted and her later choice to end that relationship and seek a more fullfilling one hasn’t demonstrated any change (or choice) in her sexual orientation.

JohnJuly 12, 2012 at 12:03 pm -

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once stated that Truth smashed down rises again untainted. For those that may not understand what untainted or tainted means, look it up in the dictionary. That is what I did a long time ago when I heard that quote off of a cd from MLK. The question now is, “who is trying to smash TRUTH and when TRUTH knocks down all of the lies that tried to hinder TRUTH will those that supported the lies still be standing and alive??

Priya LynnJuly 12, 2012 at 12:09 pm -

I always find it ironic when bigots refer to MLK as though anything he stood for supports their bigotry – it does not. MLK stood for equality and truth and was opposed to the bigotry and lies of people like you.

JohnJuly 12, 2012 at 12:16 pm -

As a male I really enjoy sex with my wife. Plus I like what I have learn about being a male from my father and men that I know. Sorry guys that may be gay, you can’t give it like she does because we don’t have the equipment as a women does and it’s alot healthier in a marriage relationship between and male and female that are faithful to each other. To think I would want to leave her for a man and have sex, emotional attachement and start over in life is crazy thinking he is all that. Sorry I don’t think so. So someone is wrong here concerning this lifestyle choice. I like what I have now and have never wanted anyone else. Everyday I learn something new about her and the children we have are a part of the joy of family. Well, gotta go. Have a great day. No hate remarks because I didn’t put any out. I just gave a few words I pray they are received in love and kindness. ttul

JohnJuly 12, 2012 at 12:18 pm -

I just like the quote ma’am. I thought it was good and it seems that it is a principle that works across the board in every area of life.

Priya LynnJuly 12, 2012 at 12:38 pm -

John, do you even hear yourself and stop to think what it means? You say “I like what I have now and have never really wanted anyone else.”. Do you remember a time when you weren’t sexually attracted to either sex, you sat down, weighed the pros and cons of gayness and heterosexuality and made a decision to be attracted to women and from that point forward you were attracted to women? Of course not. You know you didn’t choose your sexual orientation and its just as absurd to think any gay, lesbian, or bisexual has.

It is quite simply a lie that it is “alot healthier in a marriage relationship between and male and female that are faithful to each other.”. Same sex couples in monogamous relationships are just as healthy as heterosexual couples in a monogamous relationship. Further, a same sex attracted person is far happier in a relationship with someone they’re attracted to than they would be in an opposite sex relationship they picked just because they felt pressured by society to do so.

Priya LynnJuly 12, 2012 at 12:41 pm -

John said “No hate remarks because I didn’t put any out. I just gave a few words I pray they are received in love and kindness.”.

Such obvious B.S. You came here falsely accusing gays and lesbians of lying when they say they didn’t choose their orientation and then implied they would be struck down for lying. You came here from a place of hate and attacked innocent people. If you think people should receive your attacks in love and kindness you’re a special kind of stupid.

DanielJuly 12, 2012 at 1:43 pm -

John, why are you even posting here? No one is trying to stop you from having sex with your wife. No one is trying to interfere with your marriage. Your posts here make no sense at all. It just seems kind of crazy and irrelevant.

RightSaidFredJuly 12, 2012 at 1:56 pm -

Lobotomies 4 all U sick thespians who masticate in public!

RainbowPhoenixJuly 12, 2012 at 2:00 pm -

Fred, what the hell is “masticating”?

Peter HargmierJuly 12, 2012 at 2:08 pm -

@ Rainbow,

To masticate is to chew one’s food.

I think Fred is satirizing the Right’s attempts to sound intelligent. That’s how it read it anyway.

Why don’t they move on from “Exodus” to Leviticus since they’re so obsessed with it? ;-D

PuttJuly 27, 2012 at 2:12 pm -

Alan Chamber is simply a confused gay man. Homosexuality is not a struggle – So called ex-gays are simply Struggling-Heterosexuals – Because everyday they struggle pretending to be straight. Chambers has shed some skin, but he has a lot more to go as he still continues to categorize same-sex acts to that of heterosexuals’ sex acts outside of marriage.

Get to Know Us

Truth Wins Out is a non-profit organization that fights the "ex-gay" myth and antigay religious extremism.

TWO monitors anti-LGBT organizations, documents their lies and exposes wrongdoing. TWO specializes in turning information into action by organizing, advocating and fighting for truth, integrity, and equality for sexual minorities.